Toll station in Leeville will accept cash, credit cards

Drivers passing through Leeville on La. 1 will soon face fewer hassles paying the toll required to use the new bridge.

Matthew AlbrightStaff Writer

Drivers passing through Leeville on La. 1 will soon face fewer hassles paying the toll required to use the new bridge.

The state Transportation Department will install an in-lane service accepting coins, cash, credit cards and debit cards.

Currently, commuters must purchase a GeauxPass and visitors must buy toll tags at the Golden Meadow Customer Service Center, the latter of which requires motorists to park, get out of the car and go inside.

The new kiosks will go up over the summer, although transportation officials didn’t have an exact completion date.

“This will make travel more convenient for motorists commuting to Port Fourchon and the many visitors who flock to Grand Isle for annual events and vacation,” Assistant Transportation Secretary Rhett Desselle said.

The new payment options will be installed under a canopy on the right lane of La. 1. They will be built at levels to suit both small and tall cars and trucks, so motorists won’t need to leave their vehicles.

The left lane will remain a dedicated GeauxPass lane, allowing those who have purchased a tag to drive through uninterrupted. To purchase a GeauxPass, stop by the Golden Meadow Customer Service Center or register online at www.geauxpass.com.

The pre-pay and post-pay kiosks in local businesses will be removed once the charge lanes are open. Drivers will no longer get a four-day “grace period” to pay the toll after passing the kiosk, officials said.

The kiosks will provide both change and a receipt on request.

Daniel Lorraine, the Lafourche Parish Councilman representing Leeville, said he used to receive many complaints about the current toll system.

“It took a while for the public to get used to it,” Lorraine said. “Now that they’ve finally gotten used to it, they’re going and changing it again.”

Lorraine said some people might find the new system worthwhile, but he said most motorists who have to pay the toll are routine commuters anyway.

“Is this going to work better? I have no idea,” he said. “It could be better, or it could be worse. We’re just going to have to see.”

The current “open” toll system, originally hailed as a high-tech achievement, had been riddled with problems and complaints from motorists and officials since it opened more than two years ago.

The bridge, a key route for trucks heading to and from the oilfield hub of Port Fourchon, collects tolls of $2.50 to $12, based on a vehicle’s size.

Officials hope that adding a manned cash lane will reduce violations and generate more money to help pay off the construction loan that built the bridge.

The tolls generated $3.4 million in 2010, falling short by $674,000, or 15 percent, of the money needed to fully satisfy a $136 million loan that paid for the new bridge. State officials have said the confusing and often broken toll system is one reason the bridge has not collected the expected revenue.

Staff Writer Matthew Albright can be reached at 448-7635 or at matthew.albright@dailycomet.com.